Never Alone
by TuxRug
Summary: Third and final story in the Shattered Rainbow series. Rainbow Dash takes a chance to audition for the Wonderbolts again, but her friends still worry about her.
1. Reminders

"So, Rainbow, are you excited?" a violet unicorn asked.

"Of course I am, Twilight!"

"Yer gonna show them Wonderbolts what you're made of?" came a cheery southern drawl.

"Yep! They'll love me!" Rainbow boasted.

Despite being in the lobby of the Ponyville library, none of the six ponies sitting in a circle in the middle of the room bothered to be quiet. This was a big day, and everypony knew how important this day was to Rainbow Dash. They also knew how important the same day was a year prior. They knew how their friend had reacted when it hadn't gone as she planned. Consciously, they were all trying to be good friends. Subconsciously, they were working hard to prevent a repeat of the near-disaster that shared its one-year anniversary with the annual Wonderbolts tryouts.

"Ooh, ooh! What kind of cake do you want for your party tonight?" A pink pony hopped around Rainbow Dash with a vigor that never ceased to lift everypony's spirits. "Vanilla? Chocolate? Ooh! Red velvet? Or carrot cake?"

"Surprise me."

Pinkie stopped hopping and smiled at Rainbow. "Oki-doki-loki. Oh! I almost forgot! If you meet any friends at the tryouts, invite them! The more the merrier, right?"

Rainbow stood and smiled back. "Well, if I run into anypony who might want to come…"

Pinkie cut in without letting her friend finish. "Ooh goodie! I'll make _extra_ everything!" She hopped off rattling off potential menu items to herself, all of which involving nearly obscene amounts of sugar.

Fluttershy carefully worked her way into the conversation. "I… I'm very happy… um, that… that you got selected again."

Rainbow put a hoof to her chest in a gesture full of pride. "Well they won't let just _anypony_ in. I can't help being awesome!" She smiled at Fluttershy. "I wonder how many ponies nominated me."

"Ah dunno, but ah reckon at least five, seeing as you can't nominate yerself." Applejack smiled, and the other four friends smiled as well. "'Course, five ain't enough to get ya to into a group of 12 hopefuls."

A young male voice called out, bringing a stack of books from downstairs. "It's at least six if they count nominations from dragons."

"Spike, I think they'll take nominations from anyone." Rarity turned towards Rainbow, who shrugged. "Regardless, she's in, and she's going to wow everypony! Isn't that right, darling?"

"I sure am. I've got everything planned out. And it's going to be _so awesome_!" Rainbow's voice heightened to a near squeak towards the end of her exclamation.

"And you're going to come to Sugarcube Corner to enjoy your party afterward, right?" Twilight suddenly spoke with a less cheerful tone. Everyone else noticed the change. Even Spike looked at Twilight with uncertainty.

"Um, yeah." Rainbow remarked curtly. Rainbow became very uncomfortable with where her friend was steering the conversation. The others looked blankly at the Pegasus and the unicorn, silently hoping they misread Twilight's inflection.

"I mean, why didn't you come back last year? I've been doing a lot of reading, and I refuse to believe being turned down is the only reason."

The other ponies glowered at Twilight. "Time and place, Twi… This is neither," whispered Applejack.

"I don't get it! Something else had to be on your mind," Twilight said with tears in her eyes. "What were you thinking?"

Applejack stood up and walked up to Twilight. "Dangit, Twilight. Not. Now."

"It's ok, girls," Rainbow said with a huff. "If you want to know, Twilight, I'll tell you. I've gone too long without telling any of you. But Applejack's right. Now is not a good time. Something hit me a couple months before the last tryouts. It was terrible. It was even in the Cloudsdale Times. But I'm not going to talk about it while I should be getting ready for the tryouts."

"But Dash," Twilight interjected.

"No. I have to go warm up. I don't want a cramp in the middle of my performance." Rainbow looked at Twilight with eyes that radiated annoyance. "I'm coming back for the party. I'll tell all of you after." Without another word, Rainbow shot out the door and flew towards Cloudsdale.

Applejack jabbed her hoof in Twilight's side. "What the hay is wrong with you?"

"What? I needed to know she'd be okay. And I figured if we knew more, maybe we could help her if she came back sad." Twilight sank her head.

"Well, that's not how ya do it!" Applejack growled. "Ah know you're concerned. We all are. But hours before the same event that… Ah can't believe you!"

"Um… I really… I really think you both need… to… um… calm down." Fluttershy made a barely audible attempt to moderate the argument. It seemed to work; for a moment both Twilight and Applejack were quiet. Applejack turned away, heading for the window. Then Twilight broke the silence.

"At least we have something to go on, now."

Applejack did a double take. "What d'ya mean by that?" A perturbed look began to re-shape on her face.

"I mean," Twilight stated simply, "that she said it happened two months before the last tryouts. That was right around last year's Summer Sun Celebration. If we check the newspapers from around then, we can figure out what she was talking about."

"Um… I really don't… I don't think that's a good idea." Fluttershy hid beneath her mane, her face almost completely covered. "She said she'll tell us herself… can't we just wait until then?"

"I agree completely, dear." Rarity flung her mane out of her face and stared at Twilight with as ladylike a discontent as she could muster. "I really think we should set this thought aside, and wait for Dash. Let's not even bring it up. We can talk about it when she's ready."

Twilight let out a gruff sigh. "Ok. You're all against it. What about you, Pinkie?"

She turned to see the normally exuberant pony sitting still. "I don't know," she said slowly. "It might help to know. Secrets don't usually help anypony."

"Thank you, Pinkie Pie." Twilight smiled at the weak but present vindication. "Besides, she told us herself, it's in the paper. She wouldn't have dropped that hint if she'd be upset with us looking."

"Ah don't think we should be pryin'." Applejack insisted.

"It's not prying if it's public information, Applejack."

Applejack knew she was losing the argument quickly, as were Fluttershy and Rarity. Nothing stood in the way of Twilight Sparkle searching for knowledge. Applejack decided not to bother replying, but instead shook her head and walked back towards the window.

"Ok then," Twilight chimed in. "Now there isn't enough room in the library to keep newspaper records. Those are all in Canterlot. I'll ask the princess to send us some of the archives. We can start with the week of the celebration. Spike, take a letter."

"Nuh-uh. Twilight, I know you mean well, but…" Spike was obviously uncomfortable with the idea. "I'll send it, but I'm not writing it."

"Fine." Twilight pouted and levitated a scroll and quill from a nearby table, dipping the quill in ink as it floated to her. She quietly narrated to herself as she wrote with the quill and parchment hanging in the air. "Dear Princess Celestia, I understand you are preparing to attend the Wonderbolt tryouts, and apologize if this letter finds you at a bad time. If you are not too busy, would you kindly forward issues of the Cloudsdale Times from the week of last year's Summer Sun Celebration? Your faithful student, Twilight Sparkle."

Twilight rolled the scroll and sent it over to her assistant. "Ok, Spike. Send it."

Spike grumbled as he plucked the scroll from the air. He took a deep breath and exhaled a thin flame towards the top of the document. The scroll vanished into a puff of sparkling smoke.

"There. Now we just wait for a reply." Twilight looked towards Fluttershy, Applejack, and finally Rarity. "If she's too busy, or we can't find anything in the first batch of papers, then we'll wait."

Twilight began to pace the floor, and a few moments passed without anypony speaking a word. Eventually, Pinkie Pie hopped in front of her.

"I know what that look means!" Pinkie said teasingly, poking Twilight's pouting face. "It means you need to be cheered up! And you know what cheers up a pony real quick? Do ya?"

"Pinkie," Twilight muttered. "If you say, 'party'…"

"A party? That's a good idea, but I'm saving all my party energy for tonight! It's gonna be super! But right now, I was thinking cupcakes!" Pinkie jumped in the air for emphasis. "I'll be right back with some, with _extra_ hot sauce on the side!" Pinkie bounced to the door, pushed it open with her nose, and bounced outside.

Twilight stood in awe at the behavior she just witnessed, but quickly disregarded it as normal for Pinkie. For a moment, she almost forgot about what she was thinking about previously. Just as it started to come back to her, a voice came behind her.

"I'm back! Vanilla or chocolate?"

Twilight spun around and saw Pinkie standing behind her, with a platter of cupcakes and assorted bottles labeled with peppers balanced atop her back. Pinkie stared at the careful balance, then back at Twilight. "Go ahead. Grab one! It'll make you smile!"

Twilight stood for a second. "How… never mind." She lit up a chocolate white-frosted cupcake in a faint glow and lifted it off the platter. Immediately the platter began to wobble under the slightly upset weight distribution.

"Quick, Twilight! Take one from the other side!"

Twilight set the cupcake down, then lit the entire platter and floated it to a nearby table. She then plucked the cupcake she originally selected and took a bite. To her surprise, it did help ease her tension. She was still very worried, but she had less of a desire to show it.

"C'mon! I brought enough for everypony!"

Spike was the first to approach the platter, but he stopped mid-stride. He turned around and produced a very large belch of green flame, which materialized into a stack of paper roughly one quarter his height, bundled in twine with a scroll tied to it. The stack hovered for a second before landing with a thud.

"I… I didn't know you could do that much… all at once." Fluttershy squeaked, still hiding in a corner, nearly out of sight.

"Ugh," Spike replied with an uncomfortable expression, holding his stomach. "I didn't either."

Applejack and Rarity turned their attention to the stack, then both shook their heads slowly at Twilight. "Dear, I do think it's best if we put this aside and just wait for Rainbow Dash to tell us herself," Rarity softly insisted.

"She knows we both disapprove, but ah reckon there's no stoppin' her," Applejack said. "Ah'm half tempted to leave right now so ah don't hear none of it. Then again, ah can't help but wonder what's so big to be in the papers."

Twilight untied the scroll from the bundle and read it aloud.

"My dear student, Twilight Sparkle: I apologize in advance for the short response, as you are correct in your assumption that I am preparing to leave to attend the Wonderbolt tryouts. I have sent the periodicals you have requested. Additionally, I hope you do not mind, but since you did not specify what you were researching, I did glance at the headlines before sending these. I can only say that I found something that appears to relate to your friend Rainbow Dash, and should it be what you are searching for, please be prepared for what you read. Your mentor, Princess Celestia"

"Be p-p-prepared for what you r-read?" Fluttershy shivered and buried her face in her hooves. "That sounds… scary."

"It means," Twilight deemed, "that we're on the right track."

"We? Twi, this was all your idea," Applejack stated.

"Ok, I'm on the right track," Twilight admitted. She undid the twine binding the stack of papers. "The princess mentioned that whatever it was is in the headlines, so that'll save some time." She picked up the first newspaper, scanned it, then set it down. She did the same with the second. Upon lifting the third paper, she gasped. "Oh my. I think this is it."

"Ooh? It is? Lemme see, lemme see!" Pinkie ran up to Twilight so quickly that she knocked her friend off her hooves when she failed to stop.

The newspaper escaped Twilight's levitation and slid across the floor to Fluttershy, who was lying flat with her hooves covering her eyes. The paper came to a stop, barely touching Fluttershy's nose, eliciting a slight peep. Fluttershy uncovered her eyes and shrieked at the photographs on the front page.

"Fluttershy, darling! What's the matter?" Rarity slowly walked towards the startled Pegasus with a look of clear concern.

"It… It's… It's Rainbow's parents…"


	2. Old Memories

"_Dad! I'm home!" Pride rang in the young filly's voice as she entered her cloud home. It was small, but had two stories. There was a staircase on the far wall despite its inhabitants' ability to fly._

"_Whoopee… Why are you so happy?" A gruff reply came from a blue Pegasus sprawled out on a couch much too small for him._

"_I got my cutie mark!" The blue filly shouted._

"_I find that hard to believe." The larger blue Pegasus winced at his filly's volume. He blinked his bloodshot eyes to try to clear the haze, but didn't bother to look at what the younger Pegasus was so eager to show him._

"_I did! I won the race today! I even made a Sonic Rainboom!"_

_The father pushed his dull grey mane away from his granite eyes and set it back behind his ears. He glared but couldn't focus. "Now I know you're lying." He tried to stand but stumbled back onto the couch. "Nopony's ever done that."_

"_I did make a Sonic Rainboom! And I got my cutie mark!"_

"_You know what happens to liars, don't you, Rainbow Dash?" The father shook his hoof in the filly's general direction. "Now be a good filly and shut up, let daddy get some sleep."_

_The filly hung her head low as she walked past the couch, on the way to the stairs leading towards her bedroom. "You sleep all the time," she mumbled._

_A large blue hoof came down on the end of her rainbow tail, stopping her. "Smart mouths are just as bad as liars." The father's blurred vision locked in on the frightened face that turned towards him. His daughter knew what was coming, but it was too late for an apology. A second hoof connected with the filly's cheek. The filly screamed in pain instantly, prompting another blow to her side. "I said shut up!"_

_The filly began to cry, and her father lifted his hoof off her tail. "Go to bed. I don't want to hear a peep from you!" It didn't matter that it was still daylight outside._

_A worried voice echoed from the story above. "What is going on down there?" The white Pegasus the voice belonged to ran down the stairs, her rainbow mane flowing behind her. Her violet eyes immediately landed on the filly's bleeding face. "Rainbow? What… Are you okay?"_

_The filly ran with a slight limp and sheltered herself behind the white Pegasus._

"_You…" The previously worried voice seethed with anger. The Pegasus took a breath and regained her composure, if only temporarily. "Rainbow… You got your cutie mark! Why don't you run upstairs and I'll be right up to get you cleaned up and you can tell me all about it, okay?" The filly nodded and climbed the stairs. Once she reached the top and was out of sight, she heard her parents begin to argue._

"_What is wrong with you? What business do you have hitting ANY filly? Especially our daughter?"_

"_Will you SHUT UP? You know I have a headache!"_

"_I don't care if you have a nail through your skull! How could you hit Rainbow?"_

_The filly climbed up into her bed and tried to cover her ears, but she couldn't reach without making her side hurt worse. She tried pushing her head under a pillow but she could still hear the arguing._

"_That stupid filly was lying and mouthing off. She knows the punishment."_

"_You've hit her BEFORE?"_

"_That's none of your business!"_

"_How can it be none of my business? She's my daughter! All those times she said she flew into a wall… That was you, wasn't it?"_

"_Not all of them."_

_The filly had heard her parents argue before, but nothing like this. Heated words grew so close together that she could no longer make them out, nor did she care to. She couldn't stand to hear her parents fight. She knew this wasn't normal. Whether hearing these arguments boiled her blood or made it run cold in fear, it was always too much to take._

_She just wished the fighting would stop. And with a sound she could not identify, it did._

Rainbow Dash snapped back to the present just in time to avoid a mid-air collision with a tree. She banked to the right and missed the trunk by inches, passing between two widely spaced branches. "Dang it, Twilight… Why did you have to bring up these memories _now_?"

She regained the altitude she inadvertently lost while visiting the past, and corrected her course. She wasn't far from Cloudsdale now. She'd be at least a half hour earlier than she planned. That would be enough time to mentally go over her planned routine a few times. Maybe it would be enough time to push the painful memories to the back of her mind. She couldn't afford to freeze up during this performance. She thought her performance was paramount last year, but if all went well, she would surprise even herself this time. All she had to do was focus.


	3. Revelations

The library grew quiet for a moment. Despite silence being the normal state for the building, or at least the preferred one, this hush drew nothing but concern from the six friends in the lobby. Rarity, who had been approaching the newspaper that fell to Fluttershy, stopped upon hearing the bashful voice's words. Everypony sat, with just the revelation of whose photos were in the article enough to solidify them with unease.

"Okay, we know it's something to do with Rainbow Dash's parents right?" The purple dragon shattered the almost painful silence. "That's enough. Let's just put the paper back in the stack, and we can send them back later."

Twilight glared at her assistant. "Spike, I'm not sending this back without reading it." She watched Spike shrug in defeat and levitated the paper back to herself.

"Don't this seem like somethin' a bit too personal to be meddlin' in? Ah reckon it's in the papers because it's big, not because it's not private."

Twilight didn't even seem to hear Applejack's latest objection. She carefully unfolded the paper and held it in midair. Fluttershy made another quiet objection as well, but it fell on inattentive ears. Twilight had a habit of holding onto ideas until they either had no life left in them, or they bore the results she desired. Nothing was going to pull this quest for immediate knowledge from her vice grip of a mind now.

Pinkie, either unaware of the coming information or attempting to put on a courageous face, appeared with a blur, seated in front of Twilight with a large tub of popcorn. She looked around and saw Rarity and Applejack deliver very displeased looks. With a pout she tossed the popcorn aside, landing it on a table without spilling any. She then stared at Twilight with very overstated anticipation.

Twilight cleared her throat and began reading. At first, she read in a tone that radiated her self-recognized genius. However, as the reading continued, her voice dimmed as she finally grasped the weight of the words on the page.

"Break in 8-year cold case, suspect arrested…

"The Royal Guard in Canterlot has announced that thanks to continued efforts and new information, the case of a missing Pegasus may finally come to a close after eight years. Chroma, mother of one, disappeared almost a decade ago. After interviewing her family, the Royal Guard determined that the disappearance was very suspicious, but could find no other leads.

"New information from an anonymous source has led to further investigation of the missing Pegasus's husband, Perfection Dash. The anonymous tip reveals the two could be heard arguing loudly before Chroma's disappearance. Acting upon other information in the tip, the Royal Guard found sufficient evidence to justify arresting Perfection Dash.

"The Royal Guard has stated that they have not yet found Chroma, but based on the information they have found and the amount of time she has been missing, they state that it is very unlikely Chroma is still alive."

Twilight set the paper down on the floor and dropped to her flank. Her wide eyes and narrow pupils conveyed that this was far worse than anything she expected to read. Fluttershy wept by the furthest bookshelf, and Rarity stood with a very unladylike expression of shock.

"H-how… How could anypony do such a _dreadful_ thing?" Rarity gasped, without even bothering to remove the expression she would normally chide others for wearing.

"This has to be a mistake, right?" Spike tugged at Twilight's mane. "Ponies don't kill each other, right?"

Twilight couldn't speak. She had heard that thousands of years ago, ponies weren't always so friendly to each other. Still, even in the darkest history books she had read, murder was uncommon. Today, it was almost unheard of. Twilight had only heard of a few ponies accused of even accidentally killing another as long as she could remember. Any suspicious deaths usually turned out to be natural or completely accidental, and only coincidentally shrouded by dodgy circumstances.

"They… they didn't say she was… was dead… they just said… they didn't think they were… going to…" Fluttershy's attempt to comfort the dragon failed as she lost the ability to speak. She certainly didn't believe what she was trying to say.

"That… is… HORRIBLE!" Pinkie shouted and shook her head. "That can't be true! That is a very bad story and I can't believe I wanted to hear it!" She ran to the table that held the platter of cupcakes she brought, grabbed one, and took it over to Fluttershy. "Here, this'll put a smile back on your face!" When Fluttershy didn't respond, Pinkie lightly tapped her. "C'mon, come help me finish setting up Dashie's party. I know that was a super-sad story, but you don't have to listen anymore. Let's go."

Fluttershy looked up at Pinkie Pie and then back at the cupcake. "M-maybe helping you will get this off my mind." She feebly stood and walked to the door. Pinkie pointed her nose at the cupcake offering. "N-no offense, Pinkie, but I… I really don't want a cupcake right now."

Pinkie stared at the cupcake for a moment. Despite everypony and a dragon expecting her to eat it herself, she instead took it back over to the platter she took it from and set it back down. "I'll see all of you at the party, then. And Twilight… try not to be all gloomy or pouty." She turned and lead Fluttershy out, talking about what they were going to bake and how they would finish decorating, but with a rare lack of elation in her voice.

After a moment, Rarity cleared her throat and spoke. "I believe I should be going as well. I must make progress on my new designs before I attend the party. I'm already falling behind." She pushed the door open with her magic, and left unceremoniously.

Finally, only Applejack, Twilight Sparkle, and Spike remained in the library lobby. Twilight looked at Applejack and saw an angered glance returned to her. "You're right. I should have listened."

"Now, Twi, ah ain't gonna make any excuses. Ah know you meant well, but dang it, all you did was make us all uncomfortable." Applejack glared. "Ah'm gonna head out now and get mah mind offa this mess, and ah think it would be a good idea for you to think about something else for a while. Rainbow's gonna be fine. If you're worried, the best thing to do is show support."

"You're right, Applejack. We all need to be at the party to show Rainbow how much we care. And it won't be much of a party if all any of us can think of is… that."

"Exactly." Applejack turned to leave. "Again, ah don't mean to be rude or nothin', but ah gotta get somethin' else on mah mind. Ah'll see both y'all at the party."

As Applejack left, Twilight stood staring at the stack of newspapers. She lifted the next paper in the stack, revealing the same two pictures of Rainbow Dash's parents on the cover of the paper beneath it, and the headline "Confession in Missing Pegasus Case, Body Found". She immediately set the paper back down, and set the remaining newspapers back on top. She tied the twine that still lay beneath the stack to re-secure the bundle and turned to Spike. "Send them back."

"No note?"

"I'll send one later," she sighed as she wandered to the platter Pinkie left. She levitated a randomly selected treat and took a bite out of it. "Right now, I'm going to go read something. I'm thinking fiction, for a change."


	4. A Second Try

Rainbow Dash watched as a smiling Pegasus showed the Wonderbolts what she was capable of. Rainbow couldn't figure out why, but this contestant was very familiar. She spun in the air, and weaved through an invisible obstacle course, showcasing an impressive level of agility. The white mare flew professionally; her blue mane flowed behind her. Her flying wasn't anywhere near what Rainbow hoped to accomplish, but Rainbow somehow was certain this mare would be one of the six flying in the second half of the competition.

The other mare landed with a subtle bounce against the cloudy floor of the stadium, which was just as it was the previous year. The sun shone with incredible brightness, which reflected off the white puffs that made up the walls. Princess Celestia watched the stage with regality only she could summon, and as usual, her soft mane danced in an absent breeze. The only difference this time was in Rainbow's mind. Last time, she had something to prove to the world. This time, she only had something to prove to herself.

Spitfire flew from her place among the rest of the Wonderbolts down to the stage in a clean descent across the stadium, and approached the contestant who just finished. Her fiery mane contrasted sharply with the one the exhausted competitor carried. After a hoofshake and a smile, Spitfire turned towards the audience and called out, "Congratulations to Lightning Bolt for another spectacular performance!" She waited a moment for the applause to subside. "Next to audition is Rainbow Dash!"

Spitfire flew back to the spectator's area, and Rainbow took that as her signal to go. She shot up into the air, leaving a temporary bow in the cloud beneath her from the force of her takeoff. As she ascended, she dotted her path with corkscrews, barrel rolls, and loops. Then as she straightened her course, she could barely hear applause through the wind, despite having only gotten started.

Rainbow increased her speed and dazzled the audience with something she had never shown before. A mach cone formed as she began to approach the sound barrier _against_ gravity, just as she had planned. If anypony was astounded by the feat, she didn't notice. The cone of air blocked out all other sound, and she was too high to make out any faces. She continued to accelerate as the cone narrowed. As it was on the verge of breaking, she deftly flipped herself to press her hind hooves against the barrier. Just as the barrier began to snap backwards, Rainbow pushed off it with enough force to create a new mach cone as she began in the opposite direction. As she left the previous cone behind, it produced a loud pop as it dissipated.

As satisfied as she was to use the hardest part of a Sonic Rainboom to her advantage in a different trick, she wasn't done yet. She repeated the act, rebounding off sound barrier after sound barrier like a Pegasus-shaped pinball, each producing a remarkable clap. Between bounces, she banked into tight turns and traced abstract shapes with the blur she left behind.

As she finished her last pattern of bounces, she pointed herself skywards once again, and turned on the verge of the sound barrier breaking. However, instead of pushing off it, she sharply kicked at the tip of the cone, sending her the way she came with a new mach cone as the previous one burst in a ring of color and sound. With the velocity she already had, she had no trouble breaking her second sound barrier, producing a Double-Rainboom.

Rainbow Dash, producing a bright, vivid rainbow contrail behind her, rocketed towards the clouds forming the floor of the stadium, making two sharp turns along the way to draw a massive bolt of multicolor lightning in the sky. She then slowed herself quickly and smoothly enough to end the contrail less than ten feet from her landing place. Once again, she left a divot in the cloud. All she could do now was catch her breath and await the judging as sweat dripped along her coat.

Spitfire once again flew down to the stage, this time careful not to pass through the gradually fading rainbow trail. She landed and shook Rainbow's hoof. As Rainbow continued to catch her breath, Spitfire announced, "Congratulations, Rainbow Dash, for once again defying the laws of physics!" A hearty bout of chuckling came from the audience, amongst near deafening applause. "All contestants, please take your places upon the stage. We will have our choices for the half to compete in the second round in just a few moments."

Rainbow smiled. For once, the applause of the crowd didn't matter much. She had impressed herself, and that was a rare feeling.


	5. An Idol's Secret

Rainbow sat on the edge of the cloud, staring forward at nothing in particular. She didn't notice the pony alongside her until he spoke.

"You okay?"

Rainbow turned in surprise towards the uniformed pony. "Soarin'?" she gasped. "Yeah. I'm a bit bummed out, but I'm fine."

"You sure? I'm pretty sure you said you were fine last time."

"Yeah," Rainbow said with a weak smile. "I don't get it though… I gave my best performance last year… and I think I doubled that today… I don't know why I didn't make it."

Soarin' looked at Rainbow with his look of concern slowly fading. Her voice was much different that he remembered. The last time they spoke here, her voice was weak and frail. This time it was disheartened, but still rang with a healthy dose of confidence.

"So what are you gonna do now?"

Rainbow cocked her head as if the answer should be obvious. "I'm going to be nominated next year. Next year, I'll _triple_ what I did today. And I _will_ pass tryouts. I'm gonna be a Wonderbolt someday and _nothing_ is going to stop me."

Soarin' smiled. "That's exactly what I wanted to hear! Believe it or not, skill one of the last things we look at. The first thing we need to know about a Pegasus is how he or she deals with a setback. You've made incredible progress in that field."

Dash stood up and turned to face Soarin' properly. "Really? You're not just giving me a pep talk, right?"

"Of course not. I'm telling you the truth. We make mistakes too, and if any of us gave up easily, it would cause huge problems for the team." Soarin' paused for a moment, and then sat. "Let me tell you a story. A true story."

Rainbow sat back down. She hadn't interacted this much with one of her heroes since the day of the Young Fliers Competition. This was a treat for her, but she tried not to look like a filly at story time.

"Not so long ago, there was a filly and a colt," Soarin' started. "They were best friends, and they both wanted to be Wonderbolts more than anything. One year, they were both nominated for the tryouts, and they both did their best. Neither of them got past the first round. The filly handled it very well, but the colt flew off. He had a lot of other things on his mind…" Soarin' paused and coughed gently. "Things he still wishes he could forget. And the truth is, he was hurting for a long time before that, he just was really good at not letting it show. But he was sure he'd pass the tryouts, and when he didn't, it just piled on top of a lot of other stuff and he just couldn't take it anymore. So he did a very stupid, selfish thing. He stepped off the edge of a cloud. Not as high as this one, but still very high."

Rainbow looked at Soarin' as he closed his eyes. She was frightened by the revelation she was beginning to expect.

"I- he almost didn't make it. He did survive though, but he wasn't able to even leave the ground for close to six months."

Rainbow remembered vividly the words Soarin' had said to her in the hospital just less than a year ago: "I was grounded for almost half a year once before I joined the 'Bolts."

"Anyway, his friend didn't handle what he did very well at all. She definitely should have handled it better. But she was angry, and I sure don't blame her. She said some things that really did hurt, but when she gets angry, she lives up to her name, and she tends to, well…" Soarin' stopped mid-sentence.

"Spit fire?" Rainbow sheepishly asked.

Soarin' opened his eyes again, and saw the rainbow-maned Pegasus fighting back tears.

"That's how you got hurt? Not an accident? You tried—"

"It was a very stupid thing I did," Soarin' interrupted. "I don't like to talk about it. That's why I didn't just say it." Soarin' sighed. "Anyway, it took a long time, but I finally got my confidence back and eventually I was able to join the Wonderbolts." After a short pause, he added, "Can you keep it a secret?"

Rainbow nodded and wiped her eye with the side of her foreleg. "Yeah. That explains why Spitfire was so mad at me." She looked down towards her hooves in shame. "I almost took her friend from her. I mean, you got hurt saving me. It must have brought up those memories."

"Two friends."

Rainbow looked up at Soarin' and replied with a strange glance. She wore a heavy pout, and both eyes were narrow with regret, and yet curiosity was battling for dominant expression.

"You two really hit it off after the Young Fliers Competition," Soarin' explained with a slight smile. "You're both a lot alike. Are you really surprised that she considers you a friend?"

The younger Pegasus's face brightened. "Really? She said she barely knew me…" her voice squeaked.

"Really. She does live up to her name when she's angry. And you two only spent that one day together, and a few minutes at the gala. But I don't think she meant it the way you thought she meant it. In fact, her and I both nominated you last year, and this year. Most ponies think we can't put in nominations, but we can. We just usually don't. I think I even saw a nomination for you from Princess Celestia."

Rainbow was so surprised, she accidentally let an _omigosh_ slip.

"Anyway, I found out what I needed to. Oh, and one of the contestants dropped out. I guess she just wanted to see if she could get past the first round, and she was happy enough with that. Either that or she got last-minute jitters. But the spot's yours if you want it."

Dash smiled and nearly accepted the offer, but bit her tongue. "I'd love to, but I know if I was in the second round, and somepony else did that, I'd feel cheated. I'll just try again next time, and I'll be even better then."

Soarin' smiled again and stood up. "You know, it took a lot to make me feel like I did that day. If you need somepony to talk to, I'm sure any of your friends are willing to listen. Remember, nopony's perfect, so don't worry if your friends will understand. They will. I learned that long ago."

"Nopony's perfect," Rainbow repeated quietly. Her brows furrowed as a realization hit her. "I think I know just who I need to talk to." She spread her wings dramatically and thrust herself upward. "Thanks, Soarin'!"

"No problem at all."

"By the way… I –er…" Rainbow struggled for words for a moment as she hovered. "I know you'll probably be too busy, but my friend's throwing a party for me when I get back." Dash blushed slightly. "If you or Spitfire, or anypony you know want to stop by, it's at Sugarcube Corner in Ponyville, and it'll definitely go past sunset."

"I'll spread the word," Soarin' said as the other Pegasus sped off towards Canterlot, leaving a short multicolored contrail behind her. As he walked back towards the cloudiseum, he shook his head and spoke to himself. "Dash… not a very common name… couldn't be…"


	6. Confrontation

Within moments, Rainbow Dash arrived at the castle in Canterlot. It was just as she had remembered it the last few times she was here. Just like when it hosted the Grand Galloping Gala, it was astonishingly regal. The white outside walls seemed much brighter in the sunlight, and without a doubt, it stood out as the centerpiece of not just Canterlot, but all of Equestria. Unlike then, the castle was much less densely occupied. It was busier than when Princess Celestia had called her, Twilight, and the rest of their friends to brief them about Discord's reign, but now that Rainbow had the chance to actually survey her environment, it seemed much larger, inside and out.

She stood for a moment in the immense lobby. There were only a few other ponies within sight, and they all seemed to have business on the mind. Rainbow's mind began to drift from the business she came to see to, and she wondered to herself how many times her home might be able to fit in just this room. Her pondering was interrupted by a bold, gruff voice.

"Can I help you, miss?" Behind Rainbow stood a white Pegasus with a silvery mane and hazel eyes, clad in golden guard's armor. His demeanor demanded authority in every way. Whether he intended it or not, he managed to intimidate Rainbow quickly.

"Um… Yeah… I was wondering if I could talk to a prisoner here," Rainbow stammered at first but quickly regained her confidence.

"You want to talk to a prisoner?"

Rainbow withheld the urge to make a remark about echoes. "Yes."

The guard narrowed his gaze and pressed his point. "There are very few prisoners in the dungeons. All of them are murderers. Some of them are serial killers. What business does a young Pegasus like you have with a killer?"

Slightly taken aback by the guard's tone, Rainbow gulped before responding. "I have questions, mostly."

The guard stood firm maintaining the same daunting posture and scrutiny. "And who did you want to ask?"

"Perfection Dash"

For a brief instant, the guard's eyes wavered. He then loosened his stance and stepped back an inch. "And your name is?"

"Rainbow Dash"

"I figured. A mane like that is very uncommon," the guard explained. He looked to his left, then right, then back at Rainbow. "Very well… Follow me."

The guard led Rainbow Dash down a hallway that was, despite the rest of the castle, uncharacteristically bland. The colors were coordinated with the castle's general scheme, but it showed obvious signs of infrequent attention. The rugs, flooring, and walls seemed muted in comparison with the lobby. This hallway also lacked any doors save for the one at the end, and it displayed a distinct lack of any decorative effects. If not for the infrequently spaced windows, the hall would have likely drained the emotion out of anypony passing through it.

"I hope you understand that I will be supervising your visit," the guard stated as they walked down the seemingly infinite hall. "It's not that I expect any violence or collaboration between the two of you, but anytime you deal with someone locked away for killing another pony, it doesn't hurt to prepare for the unexpected."

"I understand."

"It's not too late for you to change your mind. If you have any questions about the case, I could answer those. Or is it closure you're looking for?"

Rainbow hesitated. "Something like that."

The two Pegasi were silent the rest of the way down the hall. Once they reached the door, the guard lifted his front hoof and knocked the door three times. A wooden plate slid aside, revealing a pair of grey eyes. The plate slid back, and after few clicks, the door opened.

"Ah, Chrome Wing! We have a visitor, I see. Or is this a new prisoner who talked her way out of cuffs?" The appearance of this guard surprised Rainbow a bit. All of the guards she had ever seen previously were Pegasus stallions. This one was a stallion as well, but he had no wings; instead, a horn protruded from his very light grey forehead, framed by a perfectly white mane in the absence of a guard's helmet. His lean build almost seemed to betray the armor he wore.

"You know the answer to that." The Pegasus guard spoke bluntly.

A slightly defeated look swept across the unicorn's face, looking very out-of-place behind the powerful armor. His horn glowed faintly for a second, and then he simply stated, "Cell C15."

"Thank you," the Pegasus guard responded. He turned his sights back to Rainbow Dash. "Come on."

"Cell C15? Is that where he is? How did he do that?"

"He can read minds. Not memories, just intentions. It's one of the rarest unicorn talents, and frankly makes him a bit of a pain to put up with. However, he's very useful for predicting when an inmate might try to escape or start a riot. Also, all he'd have to do is say the word, and I'd be escorting you back the way you came."

Rainbow stumbled for a second, looking behind her at the unicorn who had returned to a table of cards, levitating them from stack to stack. Rainbow considered smiling despite the atmosphere for a moment. She decided to maintain her solemnness and continue on her self-given mission. The unicorn's eyes widened, then he stopped and shouted, "Oh, captain! You might want to check on A12 on the way." He then turned back to his game and snickered.

"What's going on in A12?" Rainbow gulped.

"Nothing. A-block only goes to ten, and he knows it." The more serious stallion cast a displeased glance back at the unicorn. Rainbow finally couldn't help but relent to a chuckle. The guard then led Rainbow through a mazelike dungeon, nearly all of the cells empty. The colors and smooth walls of the castle prior were no more; instead only rough grey cobblestone remained. There were no clues as to the time of day outside; there were no windows to provide daylight. Instead, the dungeon was well lit by torches, all of which seemed to be either fresh or preserved by magic. Without the cues of the sun and moon to go by, several of the captives were sleeping, despite it actually being daytime. A few detainees banged on the bars in front of them as Rainbow and the guard passed, but most of the conscious ones simply sat dejected in the corners of their cells.

Rainbow counted the markings on the cells once they passed by a C chiseled into the wall. One, two, and three were empty. The occupant of cell four made her shiver with the narrow glance the blue earth pony inside gave her. The pony in the cell said nothing, but just her eyes alone made Rainbow feel even more nervous than she already was. When she noticed the fact that the prisoners, herself, and the uniform of the guard next to her were the only sources of color in sight, Rainbow found herself noticing how much the grey walls seemed to drain her.

The rest of the cells after number four were vacant. Rainbow only counted half a dozen inmates on the way, making the immenseness of the dungeon seem incredibly strange. The guard seemed to read Rainbow's expression with barely a glance. "From what I hear, Equestria used to be a very different place," he explained. He then answered Rainbow's second question. "Since we have the space now, we move ponies around at random to make sure they don't get a chance to tunnel out or otherwise sabotage a cell. That's a carryover from before the princess found us know-it-all. We keep it up anyway for a few reasons."

At the end of the sentence, both Pegasi stopped in front of the fifteenth cell, housing a sleeping navy blue Pegasus. The guard banged his hoof loudly against the iron bars. "Wake up! You have a visitor!" His voice once again commanded authority that nearly made Rainbow flinch.

The prisoner lifted his head from his front hooves slowly. He was facing the back wall, and Rainbow confirmed her memory with a clear view of his cutie mark. A jagged, five-point star. And it wasn't flush with his coat… just as she was beginning to remember, its edges had no fur. The prisoner turned around, revealing the mark on his other flank, which didn't quite match.

"Who the hell would want to—Rainbow?" The voice was a bit more gravely than Rainbow remembered, but other than that, it was without a doubt the stallion that called himself her father.

"Hi." Rainbow replied curtly. She prepared her next words but much to her surprise, the pony on the opposite side of the bars interjected with words she never expected him to say.

"Rainbow! I missed you so much!"

She was dumbfounded. He always seemed to hate her before. Before she could speak again, the imprisoned Pegasus continued.

"Why did you come? You have to hate me." He dipped his head as he spoke.

"I do. I have questions though. First, why did you do it?" Rainbow felt her voice crack with repressed anger.

"You mean… about your mother? I really… I can't answer that. So much of what I have done is a blur. I do remember I was scared. And I was angry. But those aren't excuses. I remember she said she was leaving and taking you with her. I got angrier and… I don't remember any details. I just remember that I…"

"I don't buy it. You always treated both of us horribly. You should have been happy."

"I know… I'm a horrible father. But I am your father. I didn't want you gone. I had a rough life, and for a long time I couldn't handle life. I didn't want to give you the same childhood I had, but when things got too much for me, I turned to the wrong kind of comfort, and I turned into a monster."

Rainbow growled. The pony pleading for her understanding seemed like a stranger. She couldn't tell if he was sincere or lying like he always did before. "You never told the truth. You said you were perfect at everything. You said your 'wildcard' on your flank proved that, but you always screwed up everything! How do I know you're not lying again?"

A bit of fire lit in the captive pony's eyes. Whether it was anger or defensiveness was indistinguishable, but his voice rose nonetheless. "You want truth? Fine! I've never been good at anything! And your grandmother... she expected me to be something impossible! She named me Perfection, for crying out loud! I was a year older than you were when you got your cutie mark, and I still didn't have one. She finally had enough and told me if I didn't make something of myself, she would do it for me. Then she did this!" He glanced towards his flank. "This isn't a cutie mark, it's a scar! I couldn't get a cutie mark after that! I'm a blank flank!"

Rainbow came to the prison figuring the "wildcard" was suspicious, but she had no idea what it really meant. Her ears pointed backward and her voice lowered. "You can't get a cutie mark?"

"I don't expect you to forgive me, or take pity on me. I just wanted to come clean. A year of solitude will change you. And it helps that all they give us to drink down here is water."

"It's good that you don't expect me to forgive you, because I can't." Rainbow was still quiet, but she still spoke with anger. "But I guess I got what I came for."

"Wait." The navy blue Pegasus paused. "Before you go… I'm proud of you."

"Really? Why is that?" The tone was almost accusatory; Rainbow was sure she caught him in a new lie.

"Do you think you can do something like saving Equestria from eternal night and I wouldn't hear about it?" A tear welled up in the corner of Perfection's eye. "You have friends. That's something I always had a shortage of. And you and your friends defeated Nightmare Moon with the Elements of Harmony. You wielded the Element of Loyalty! Nothing could make me prouder than knowing my daughter became the opposite of what I was."

"That sounded like you've been planning that one a while." Rainbow held back her emotions for a moment, but then conceded, if only slightly. "Thanks." She then said a quiet goodbye, nodded to the guard standing next to her, and the two free Pegasi left the way they came.

Rainbow was silent during the return trip, and took no time to peer into the cells this time through. She wanted to get out of the gloomy dungeon. She was hungry for sunlight. The soul-draining ability of the halls she was walking seemed to grow the longer she stayed. Finally, she and the guard reached the door they had entered through. The guard Pegasus placed a hoof on the plate on the door, slid it across, and looked through it. He peered for a moment, then slid the plate back, clicked a few deadbolts, and opened the door.

Rainbow stopped and looked at the unicorn guard, who turned to her and smiled. "Didn't get what you expected?" Rainbow shook her head. "Well, at least you're acting like you got what you needed. It didn't take a mind-reader to guess that you were nervous."

Rainbow chuckled and displayed the second smile she wore her entire time in the dungeons. She considered speaking, but dithered on the idea. Sensing this, the unicorn lit his horn in a faint glow, and spoke for her.

"I'm Seer," he smiled. "Nice to meet you, Rainbow." His horn glowed again, and he continued. "I can't go to a party tonight, sorry. I wish I could, but somepony's been thinking about escaping on the next cell rotation. I don't think he's stupid enough to try, but I need to check if he plans to follow through before we move him tonight. I'll send you a letter sometime though. Now go have fun with your friends." Seer gestured towards the guard holding the door. "Chrome's not going to hold that door much longer, and you don't want to be late to your own party."

Rainbow smiled and walked to the door. She looked one last time at the unicorn, said, "See ya," and then walked into a much-desired sunbeam casting through a hallway window.


	7. The Party

As Rainbow pushed open the door to Sugarcube Corner, she noticed the music was very quiet and nopony inside was doing much of anything. Rainbow walked in and closed the door behind her.

"Why's it so quiet in here?"

Pinkie Pie jumped from an unseen corner and tackled the blue Pegasus playfully. "We didn't want to start until the guest of honor arrived!"

"So, dear…" Rarity cantered over along with Twilight, Fluttershy, and Applejack. "How did it go?"

"Depends on exactly what you're asking about. I did get to show off some amazing moves, and I got to talk to Soarin' for a while, so that was awesome!"

"Um… what about… did you win?" Fluttershy, as usual, had trouble finding her voice, but regardless sounded very eager.

"Not this year, but I'll get it next time for sure!" Rainbow Dash wore a smile that rivaled Pinkie's own.

"Well, ah'm glad yer gettin' back on the horse…" Applejack responded. She followed the comment with a quick aside to Twilight. "Er, Twi? Any idea how that ridiculous saying got started?" Twilight replied with a simple shake of her head, and a look implying further research was needed.

Rainbow looked across the room to a long table, lined from end to end with various cakes and pastries. She noticed at the far end of the table were a couple of pies. "Pie _and_ cake? Cool!"

Pinkie hopped around to join the others, who were standing in an uneven circle. "Yeah! Normally I stick to cakes and cupcakes and stuff like that, but my Pinkie-sense told me that we'd need pie too! So I asked Applejack to bring a few over!"

Twilight could not contain her curiosity about this remark. She squinted one eye and immediately asked, "What twitch tells you to get pie?"

"It's a combo," Pinkie exclaimed cheerfully. "Eye flutter, knee-pinch, faceplant!" She looked around at her friends' astonished gazes. "Don't worry. I got a hoof-shake, ear-flop, tail-twitch before that, so I was ready! I walked around for ten minutes with a pillow taped to my head, which was pretty fun by itself, but getting the tape off wasn't as much fun. It's like taking off a bandage except I used duct tape and that sticks _really_ well!"

Twilight stared at the incarnation of insanity for a moment. "Faceplant?"

"Yeah, you know like this!" Pinkie went rigid and tipped on her front hooves, but stopped herself before her face hit the floor and righted herself. "Oooh… Sneaky, Twilight!" She giggled, and the rest followed.

The group chatted and laughed for a few minutes before there was a knock at the door. Pinkie let out an excited gasp and shot herself to the door. "Oh. My. Gosh. Rainbow Dash, you won't believe who's here!"

Rainbow thought back to the moment she left Cloudsdale earlier that day. "No way, he made it?" Her eyes were wide with astonishment as she turned towards the door.

"Who made it, sugarcube?"

Twilight and her friends watched as Pinkie let in two Pegasi, one blue with a mane like electricity, and one yellow with a mane like still flames.

"Ooh ooh! Come in! Come in!" Pinkie turned back towards Rainbow with a smile that encompassed a surprising portion of her face. "Isn't this incredible? The _Wonderbolts_ came!"

Soarin' chuckled. "Just two 'Bolts. The rest are still busy. They might come by later." His eyes drifted towards the far edge of the room towards the assortment of pastries.

As Soarin' mingled with the rest of the partygoers, slowly making his way towards the pie, Spitfire took Rainbow aside.

"Soarin' told me about your conversation earlier, and what you said. I guess I was right about you in the first place."

Rainbow blushed. Before she could respond, Spitfire continued.

"I'm sorry about being so cruel when you woke up last year. Soarin' said he did a good job explaining why, but I still wanted to apologize face-to-face. And I'm glad I didn't scare you off. I don't know why you did it, but as for that story Soarin' told you… that's one hundred percent true. And the two of us are the only ones who know, got it?"

"Got it," Rainbow acknowledged with a neutral expression. She couldn't smile because of the topic of the conversation, but she could not frown either.

Soarin' walked over to the two Pegasi, carrying a plate with a large slice of apple pie between his teeth, which he set it down on a nearby table. He bumped Spitfire's shoulder playfully with his hoof. "Playing nice, I hope."

"Just reminding her not to go spreading secrets."

"Good. Hey, speaking of secrets, mind if I have a word with her?"

"Say no more. I'm going to go have some fun. It's been a while since I've been to a party instead of a _gala_." Spitfire smiled and turned around, heading towards the blindfolded pink pony who was busy tacking a paper tail to the wall, completely missing the poster she was targeting.

As soon as Spitfire was out of earshot, Soarin' turned towards the younger blue Pegasus and cut right to the chase. "I thought you looked familiar the first time I met you. Dash is not a common name. Your dad…"

"Yes," Rainbow replied. She didn't mean to cut him off, but the subject still was, and probably always would be touchy. "His name is Perfection Dash. And he did do what the newspapers said he did."

"Wow. I understand a lot more now."

"You can't understand just from what's in the papers." Rainbow squinted suspiciously. She expected sympathy, but this sounded more like empathy, and she was not sure where this conversation would go.

"No, I really do understand. I knew your father." Soarin' paused, stood next to Rainbow, and gently unfolded his wing across her back. "Can you keep another secret?"

The now-confused tomboy stared at the idol beside her. She was already keeping a secret she never expected. _What else is he hiding?_ She stared into the other Pegasus's green eyes and nodded.

"Good. Although I would have told you anyway if you said no." The edges of Soarin's mouth lowered into a much less cheerful expression. "Soarin' isn't my full name. Years ago… when I left the house I grew up in, I shortened it. I didn't want to be reminded of the pain I grew up with every time somepony said my name."

"That's it? Your secret is you dropped part of your name? Unless your name was Soarin' Dash or something, I don't see where this is going." As soon as she said it, she noticed her hero shift slightly.

"Actually… I'm Perfection's youngest brother."

Rainbow's eyes widened. "What?" She looked around and noticed Pinkie turn around and look at her inquisitively. Rainbow made a small turning gesture at her, who turned back around and finished tying Spitfire's blindfold. "You're my uncle?"

"Unless there are two ponies named Perfection Dash serving life in Canterlot."

Rainbow moved out from under Soarin's wing. "My… father… never mentioned you." Rainbow still hated calling that pony her father. Even after their encounter earlier today, his actions were something she would have to live with forever. "I hate to ask, but this isn't some sort of joke is it?"

"I'm not joking. I was still a little colt when he left, but I know what he grew up with. Our mother threatened to 'make' my cutie mark if I didn't earn one."

"That's what she did… with him…" Rainbow stood frozen. "Nopony else could know that." She sat next to Soarin for a moment. She watched as Spitfire pinned the tail to the nose of the pony on the wall. "I'm sorry I didn't believe you," Rainbow added.

"It's okay. It's not every day somepony drops something like that on you. I'm surprised myself. Until I put it all together this afternoon, I had no idea you were my niece."

Spitfire returned, laughing. "Rainbow, your pink friend over there is crazy!" She looked at Rainbow and Soarin'. "Are you two going to sit in the corner all night?"

"Nah. We just figured something out." Soarin' turned to Rainbow. "Mind if she knows?"

"I don't mind. I just wish I could tell my friends!" Rainbow smiled.

"If your friends can keep a secret, then go ahead. I just don't want the public thinking we unfairly favor certain ponies. If you want to get to the top, you still have to earn it."

"Omigosh!" Rainbow shouted as she flew to her friends. "Guess what, guys!"

Spitfire watched the excited rainbow-maned Pegasus gather up her friends, then turned back around to Soarin'. "What was that about?"

"You remember when you read about my brother?"

"Yeah. It was terrible what he did. Why are you bringing that up?" Spitfire frowned.

"The paper mentioned his daughter… I mentioned I didn't even know he had a daughter, and you were worried about how she was coping."

"Of course. No pony should have to go through… wait… _her_? _Rainbow Dash_?"

With a nod, Soarin' pointed towards six friends just in time to see five of them drop their jaws and look towards him. "I don't think you need to worry anymore."


End file.
